SSA's Hurricane Help: The Big Picture

Mark Lassiter of the Social Security Administration's press office has let me know that my previous item on assistance for employees who were hurricane victims offered a far less than complete picture of the kinds of aid the agency has offered. "Millions of dollars in assistance have already been provided to Social Security employees based on their individual needs since the day Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast," he notes. That includes:

• Employees in the affected areas were provided with paid administrative leave, at their request, until October 31, 2005.
• Displaced employees were detailed to offices in the areas where they had temporarily relocated, at their request. These employees are being provided lodging, per diem and/or mileage reimbursement until February 24, 2006.
• Displaced employees who have permanently relocated to another area can request a permanent reassignment to an SSA office in that area. To date, 39 employees have been permanently reassigned at their request.